The scholarship goes to an undergraduate who shows leadership and vision and can be used for academic expenses, a specific activist project, or both.

Avery donated the money to nearby Greenbelt Elementary, where he has served as a mentor since he was a freshman. Each Monday he arrives there, Lego kits in tow, to teach children in the after-school program about designing, building and programming robots.

"This wasn't the type of scholarship that I felt should be spent on something personal," says Avery. "As an engineering student, it seemed fitting to share what I have learned with younger students interested in similar things."